Isabella Ragonese, Michele Riondino in Ten Winters

The series presented by the San Francisco Film Society includes a celebration of the films of the Turkish-born Italian director Ferzan Özpotek. Opening night features his new one, Loose Canons (2010). Also to be shown are his Steam: Turkish Bath/Il bagno turco (1997) on Monday, November 15, 8:45 pm, Facing Windows/La finestra di fronte, (2003) on Monday, November 15, 6:00 pm , and A Perfect Day/Un giorno perfetto (2008), on Sunday, November 14, 9:15 pm and Saturday, November 20, 1:00 pm. The new film program is below.

Click on title in English to get my reviews.

Loose Cannons
(Mine vaganti, Ferzan Özpetek 2010)
OPENING NIGHT FILM Özpetek’s latest dissection of family, love and personal liberation gently satirizes a large bourgeois household while creating a memorable panoply of characters.
Sunday, November 14, 6:15 pm
Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema

Steam: The Turkish Bath
(Hamam: il bagno turco, Ferzan Ozpetek 1997)
A handsome Italian goes to Turkey and discovers his sexuality -- and finds a second family.
Monday, November 15, 8:45 pm
Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema

Ten Winters
(Dieci inverni, Valerio Mieli 2009)
Over the course of a decade, a man and a woman remain in contact but never have the chance to fall in love.
Tuesday, November 16, 6:00 pm & Saturday, November 20, 9:15 pm
Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema

I Am Glad You Are Here
(Meno male che ci sei, Luis Prieto 2009)
Luis Prieto’s surprising and touching drama takes a turn when a young woman befriends her recently deceased father’s former mistress.
Tuesday, November 16, 8:45 pm & Saturday, November 20, 3:45 pm
Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema

Clash of Civilization over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio
(Scontro di civiltà per un ascensore a Piazza Vittorio, Isotta Toso 2010)
In an apartment building in Rome, a surly young man named Lorenzo is involved in a crime, and the residents must piece together what happened in this wide-ranging study of clashing cultures.
Wednesday, November 17, 6:00 pm & Sunday, November 21, 12:15 pm
Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema

Raise Your Head
(Alza la testa, Alessandro Angelini 2009)
Antonio is a shipyard worker training his beloved teenaged son Lorenzo in boxing. When an accident befalls the boy, Antonio is forced to confront his harsh nature and various prejudices.
Wednesday, November 17, 8:45 pm & Friday, November 19, 6:30 pm
Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema

18 Years Later
(18 anni dopo, Edoardo Leo 2010)
In this winning road movie, two estranged brothers traveling in a classically restored Morgan convertible are obliged to deliver their father’s ashes to his hometown in Calabria.
Thursday, November 18, 6:00 pm & Sunday, November 21, 3:00 pm
Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema

Weddings and Other Disasters
(Matrimoni e altri disastri, Nina di Majo 2010)
A middle-aged single woman gets caught up in her younger sister’s impending nuptials in this delightful romantic comedy.
Thursday, November 18, 8:45 pm & Saturday, November 20, 6:30 pm
Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema

The Double Hour
(La doppia ora, Giuseppe Capotondi 2009)
A hotel maid working in Turin finds herself involved in a series of increasingly strange events in this dreamlike thriller from director Giuseppe Capotondi.
Friday, November 19, 9:00 pm
Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema

The First Beautiful Thing
(La prima cosa bella, Paolo Virzì 2010)
CLOSING NIGHT FILM What does it mean to have a beautiful, frivolous and embarrassing mother? This is the problem confronting Bruno, the protagonist of Paolo Virzì’s moving new film.
Sunday, November 21, 6:00 & 9:15 pm


RAISE YOUR HEAD

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©Chris Knipp. Blog: http://chrisknipp.blogspot.com/.